


Blueblood

by Psianabel



Series: Apprentice AU [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Ancestor Theory, Brain - Eraqus parallels are the hill I die on, Gen, Implied Brain/Lauriam, Post KH3: Apprentice AU, Skuld is Aqua's apprentice in here btw, also im living for Aqua and Brain friendship, hello Dark Road for reminding me to finally work on my AU again, no one can take that away from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psianabel/pseuds/Psianabel
Summary: After aeons, Brain made it back to the current timeline and ended up in the Land of Departure where he met Aqua. This place gave him a sense of familiarity - in more ways than one.Aka, Brain finding out he had a family in the past.
Series: Apprentice AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1511273
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	1. Realizations

“There you are - I was looking for you.”    
  
Brain flinched at the sudden voice beside him, turning around to see Aqua approaching him. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked up to her from the bench he sat on, tilting his head.

“Huh. Well, here I am.”    
  
“You didn’t come for dinner and didn’t react to the calls, so I was wondering where you were.”    
  
“Ah-” He started to search his pockets and took out his phone, the screen showing him several missed calls from Aqua and Lauriam. “... Sorry, I had it on silent. I completely forgot the time.”   
  
“It’s fine. We left you some food.” Aqua waved it off. “Mind if I join you for a bit?”   
  
“Uh, sure.”   
  
Aqua sat down beside him, a silence coming over them as Aqua saw Brain in the corner of her eyes watching the Land of Departure castle in the distance, hearing a sigh from him as he exhaled deeply.   
  
“You’re not a people’s person, aren’t you?” Aqua said to him after a while, smiling to lift the heaviness in the air.    
  
“I’m … really not, sorry.” He tried to smile as well, but seriousness overcame him quickly again. “Everything is pretty overwhelming right now.”   
  
“I understand. It’s not easy to adjust to a new world in a new time just like that. … Been there, but for you it must be even harder.” Aqua looked into the distance as well, knowing all too well this feeling of disconnection.   
  
Brain fumbled with his hands in his lap as he looked down. “I try to adjust … and this place is giving me a sense of familiarity. I can’t really pinpoint out how or why. It helps a lot. … Thank you for letting us stay here.”   
  
“It’s nothing, really.” She answered him quickly, sensing him relaxing slowly beside her. “... When Ven started to talk about the bits and pieces of memories he recalled, nothing really made sense to me. I wanted to believe him, but it sounded so surreal I had a hard time doing that. And then Lauriam came along and his story overlapped with what Ven was saying, I felt bad for doubting him. I knew then there was a much bigger story behind it - and once I got to know Skuld and she told me her part, it all just came together.”   
  
He leaned back and grinned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t think Skuld is happy to see me. … Understandable, if I’m honest.”   
  
“You didn’t part in good terms, she told me.”   
  
Brain shook his head, his grin fading. “It’s not that, I think. … There is something else that makes her unhappy to see me, but I don’t know what. I’m not sure how to ask her what it is, though. I just … came here and I don’t want to cause any disturbance between those I call my allies. There is enough strain already.”   
  
“Hm.” Aqua sunk her head, but took a deep breath. “I’m sure there is a solution to this. You just came here, give it time.”   
  
A pause, but eventually he smiled. “You’re right.”   
  
Another silence overcame them and the sun slowly began to set in the distance, turning the sky in a deep orange. Though Aqua couldn’t shake off the feeling that Brain grew nervous with every passing minute beside her, subtly rubbing and scratching his hands over and over.    
  
“You … seem to be on the edge. Everything alright?” Aqua asked him carefully and Brain stopped his hands from moving, slightly tilting his head away from her.   
  
“Can I ask you a question that I wanted to ask since I came here?”   
  
“Sure…?” She could barely finish her answer before Brain stood up and walked away from the bench, Aqua followed him with her eyes, but she widened them when she saw where he went. She got up as well and joined his side again, both looking down to the flower-blooming patch of grass in front of them, with a wreath neatly put on the ground - and a keyblade towering behind it.    
  
“Who…?”    
  
He didn’t say more than one word and Aqua stiffened slightly, her thoughts running in order to find the right words. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she answered, the words coming not easy to her.   
  
“Master Eraqus. … He was my teacher and taught me everything I know about the keyblade and fighting. And … the closest I’ve ever had of having a father.”   
  
Brain’s eyes lingered on the grave, his heart starting to race.   
  
“The keyblade-”   
  
“Ah - it was his, though the one you see there is merely a replica.” Brain turned to Aqua as she said those words, and Aqua extended her arm to make space to summon Master’s Defender in her hand, exhaling deeply as it appeared in a flash of light, lowering it to continue speaking. “Since he - … passed away, I carry it instead.”   
  
He took a step back away from her, turning his gaze to the grave and again to her, his eyes wandering between her and the keyblade. Aqua could only watch him, seeing how his thoughts were running in his head - he clenched and unclenched his fists, his breath got shorter, and concern started to grow in Aqua as she saw his inner turmoil.    
  
“Brain- ... ?”   
  
“I …” He started to walk away from her, ducking his head low to cover his eyes under the shadow of his hat. “I need a moment.”   
  
“Wait!” Aqua ran after him and quickly caught up, reaching out to him, but missed him barely. “ _ Wait. _ ”   
  
“I said-” An incredible force surrounded Brain that let Aqua take steps away from him, her eyes widening as a keyblade materialized in his hand and he slowly held it up to directly point it towards her, letting her take another step away. Aqua’s breath hitched at the gesture, but more importantly, at the sight of  _ what _ keyblade it was. “.... I said I need a moment.”   
  
He instantly lowered it again and faced his back towards her, keyblade in hand.    
  
Aqua couldn’t take her eyes of it - of the shiny, scratch-free metal that was so in contrast to the old and worn out metal her keyblade was made of.    
  
Other than that, they were identical.   
  
The air grew thick around them as they both stood there in silence, the realization slowly dawning to them. Aqua’s eyes were still wide as she watched Brain standing in front of her, his open jacket flowing in the wind that leisurely picked up.    
  
The picture her mind formed out of Brain’s profile let her eyes tear up and she barely had the strength to hold them back, memories of her Master taking form right to where Brain stood, morphing him into what her heart wanted to see.    
  
She wanted to reach out to him, like she did the last time she saw him, but the second she took one step closer, the picture vanished and Brain faced her again, his face sad and his heart in pain.   
  
“Please.” He started as he saw Aqua’s expression towards him. “... Give me some time. You need some as well.”   
  
And with those words he let his keyblade vanish and walked away, disappearing from her sight. Aqua’s eyes followed him until she couldn’t see him anymore, her body frozen in place.   
  
Her thoughts were all over the place, turning over and over in head. She knew she eventually had to accept what she just saw - and that they had to talk about what happened, once they were both ready for it.    
  
She clenched her fist over her heart and took a few slow breaths to calm herself down from the situation, before making her way back to the castle as well.    
  
She had a lot to sort out for herself.    



	2. A connection beyond a bloodline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few days, Aqua confronts Brain again after their ... heavy encounter.  
> She has too many questions and Brain is willing to answer.

The floor creaked under Aqua's careful step, the old tiles of the castle's own library showing its age. Enlightened by the light coming from the giant, round stained glass window embedded into the roof, particles of dust were visibly floating in the air, moving with Aqua as she walked further into the room. Rows of bookshelves towered left and right from her, full of books that hadn’t been touched for ages. 

She came to a halt at the last row, her sight falling onto the little reading area in front of her. Occupied by a small desk that had books stacked on one side and empty food boxes on the other, Aqua found Brain sitting in front of it. She took a step forward to announce herself, but was cut off before she could say anything.

“Is it dinner already? Time really flies without you, Lauriam.”

Aqua tilted her head to the side and lowered it slightly, trying to hide the smile on her face. “Actually, it’s me.”

In an instant Brain sat up straight in his chair, turning around to her with an embarrassed face. “I … didn’t expect you here-”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you.” 

She minimized the distance between them, leaning herself against the desk Brain was sitting at, noticing his deep exhale and the avoidance of her gaze as he lowered his head. “Brain, we … really need to talk.”

The following silence hurt in Aqua’s ears and Brain turned his head to the open book he was reading, his hand still at the spot he left off. He briefly closed his eyes, but nodded. 

“Yeah … yeah I think we have to.”

Swallowing, he pushed himself up from the chair, his head still lowered when he turned around to walk a few steps, his back facing Aqua. He gestured with his hand in the air, trying to come up with words to say, but eventually he had to simply lower it again.

“ … I don’t even know where to start.”

Aqua crossed her arms in front of her chest, chewing on her lip as she thought for things to say. The words didn’t come easy to her, but someone had to start somewhere.

“Brain, what is your story. I need … answers to what I’ve seen. What is the connection, why do we carry the same keyblade, why do I see-”

“I … should start from the beginning then.” Brain turned around to her, his gaze stern, serious. “I’m sure Skuld told you about how she got thrown into a different time, into the future, into this time. … All of us Union Leaders did, ending up in different time periods, away from each other, without knowing where the others went.” 

He started to pace and Aqua simply listened. 

“I ended up in a place that would be known as Scala ad Caelum.”

The name let Aqua lift her head up and widen her eyes. Brain noticed her reaction and stopped his pacing. 

“You know this place, right? The … “stairway to the sky, the seat of all keyblade wielders”, like one book said I found in here. After I ended up there I brought the remaining Dandelions into this place to save them from the inevitable doom from the other world. I knew this would have happened, as much as I wished it didn’t. It was foretold. … And I knew as well my time there was limited, but I didn’t know how much.”

He started to cross his arms as well, turning away from Aqua to start pacing again.

“I was the only Leader left for the Dandelions, I felt responsible for them and they clinged onto me. I couldn’t leave them in this empty world, the most I wanted was to give them a home to stay, where they are safe and live in peace forever. And so … the city grew under my command, with their wishes and needs.”

He exhaled deeply before he continued. 

“I never wanted to be celebrated for this, nor do I ever wanted to stand in the light for this. I did what my heart told me, but the grim reminder that I have to leave one day loomed over me. I couldn’t keep that information away from people, I told them I would vanish sooner or later. I tried to isolate myself, tried to get away from everyone, so that if I were gone, no one would get hurt or miss me. But …”

A smile formed on his face as he looked up. 

“... people still cared about me, checked on me, gave me updates on the city even if I never asked. They lived in the moment and they made me see that I could still enjoy myself, even if I knew what would come. I had my fair share of friends, close friends, people I knew I could trust the city upon once I was gone. I tried to share as much knowledge as I could, in hopes it would help them later on. I guess it was some early form of apprenticeship, if I look at it now.”

A pause. Aqua felt on the edge, her nails digging into her arm. Questions formed in her head, but she kept silent. 

“... Years passed. I was happy, really, sometimes I even forgot my destiny, only to get reminded again after a while. The longer I stayed, the shorter my time became. I got too close to people around me, too comfortable. The city bloomed. I had a hunch that my time was up … I couldn’t bear it any longer. And I passed down my possessions to a dear friend of mine - including my keyblade.”

Aqua released her arms and stepped forward. 

“So-"

Brain extended his arm to her direction, stopping her from saying anything, and shook his head. 

“I don’t think … I’m done yet.”

She went back and leaned herself against the desk again, letting Brain speak further.

“When I came to this world and saw the grave, saw you wielding this keyblade … I knew something had happened in between, my action back then rippled down the timeline. I simply thought it was a coincidence, thought that my friend passed my keyblade along. Little could I have known there was much more behind it.”

He walked over to a nearby bookshelf and swept dust away from a few backs of books, revealing old letters on them. 

“Master Ava told me that Scala ad Caelum and this land, this castle are connected. So I knew I would find the remains of my old hometown here. And I did. Books written by people I know- … knew, books I commissioned people to write, so history wouldn’t get lost. Some dating right before I vanished and then ... “

He paused as he walked to the other side, to the next bookshelf, doing the same there.

“Books from after I was gone, years down the line. Records of the city, diaries from people who came after me. It … feels weird to see them, even now, but still I was curious of what happened to the city I once helped to build. So … I started to read.”

Stretching himself, he reached for a higher row on the bookshelf and took out an old book, though not as dusty as the rest of them were.

“The more I read, the more gaps I could fill. It was astonishing to read how this city grew and flourished. How traditions came to life, how they dealt with hardships and challenges, how keyblade training became a thing and Keyblade Masters were born. I know diaries are something very personal, but they were the most interesting to me - the closest I could get to experience this time.”

He took a step away from the bookshelf and let his gaze wander the row of books he took one from.

“All of these diaries had one thing in common. They all spoke about a ceremony of the bequeathing of a keyblade on their 16th birthday, even though they already were keyblade wielders. A family tradition I found out after the third diary. These people were all related - each diary from one generation.” 

Aqua tilted her head to the side as Brain opened the book he had in his hands, skimming through the pages before he stopped somewhere in the middle.

“The closer I got to the end of these diaries, the more … I realized. The mentions of a long bloodline, “blueblood” even. “Direct descendants of the first Master from the Age of Fairy Tales” they called themselves. The description of the keyblade that got handed down, how it belonged to that Master - … and the name of the child that is going to wield it next.”    
  
Brain closed the book and put it on the edge of the shelf, leaning himself against the frame of the bookshelf, crossing his arms, his gaze lowered.   
  
“When I saw my keyblade stuck in the ground and you mentioned the name Eraqus, the name that belonged to the child mentioned in the last diary, and how it was his keyblade, I just … got it, you know.”   
  
He paused, taking a deep breath. He hoped Aqua would say anything, but she kept silent as well.    
  
“I never … imagined that, when I had to leave Scala Ad Caelum, I left … a family behind.”   
  
Aqua opened her mouth, her eyes wide. There wasn’t much she managed to express, too many things running in her head.   
  
“Oh. …  _ Oh _ .”   
  
“Pretty ironic, isn’t it, how you kept on the family tradition of carrying this keyblade further.” He snorted, pushing himself up from the bookshelf. “... I had a lot to think about these past few days. I … mean it’s not often you find out you have a family suddenly.”   
  
“Brain-”    
  
He waved his hand in front of himself, shaking his head, closing his eyes as he feared the tears swelling up.   
  
“But I guess … I guess I’m okay. It’s not like I can change anything about it now, but …”   
  
Aqua couldn’t keep her grip on the desk anymore and walked over to Brain, not hesitating to wrap her arms around him. He was around the same height as her and Aqua simply held him close, with Brain just standing on the spot, not moving. He flinched at first, but relaxed soon after, the tension in his body leaving him as Aqua’s comforting hug showed its effect.   
  
“You’ve been through so much. Everything … must be so overwhelming.” She whispered, sighing as she felt Brain relaxing in her arms. “I know I … definitely need to process this.”   
Slowly he returned the hug as well, lowering his head to her shoulder, his forehead almost touching her.   
  
“I never wanted to leave any kind of bloodline, and I have no doubt it did more harm than good. I don’t know the circumstances of you growing up, Aqua, and I know it couldn’t have been easy, but if anyone deserves this place, this keyblade … it’s you. I know you’ll do better than any of us did … and I would be honored to call you family.”   
  
Smiling, Aqua released him from the hug and held him by the shoulder, finally finding his gaze after all this talking.    
  
“I mean it.” Brain continued. “You’ve been nothing but generous. … I’ve seen you train Skuld, there is so much skill behind it. Lauriam speaks of you highly. Master Ava trusts your guidance. … If there is any person who I want to consider family after everything I’ve learned about it, it would be you. You already have my keyblade, so-”   
  
He couldn’t finish his sentence as Aqua gently booped her finger against his forehead, making him smile as well.    
  
“It’s a lot to take in, that’s for sure.” Aqua said with a sigh and dropped her hands from him, fumbling. “If you give me some time …-”   
  
“I understand.” Brain nodded. “Like I said, it’s … not every day you get to know you suddenly have family.”   
  


Relief washed over him, now that all of his thoughts were out and Aqua knew what was going on. He exhaled deeply and took in this freeing feeling.    
  
“Ah yeah, I forgot to mention.” Brain walked over to the desk and picked up a small book. “I didn’t read this one, because it looked fairly new. I only ever opened up the first page after I was through with the rest of the diaries … and I decided it wasn’t appropriate for me to look through it.”   
  
He handed Aqua the book and Aqua inspected it, turning over the hard book cover. A slight gasp escaped her at what she saw, a photograph almost sliding off the first page as she turned it around.   
  
A photograph of Terra and her, younger, in their early teens, posing together with Eraqus standing behind them.   
  
“... Master Eraqus’ diary.” Tears swelled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I didn’t know he kept a diary.”    
  
“I think it is better in your hands now.”    
  
Aqua let her eyes linger a bit on the photograph, but tucked it away again, closing the diary. She could look at it at a later point, there were too many things right now she had to process first.    
  
“Thank you … I will keep it.”    
  
A silence came over them, both of them unsure where to continue from now.    
  
“So…” Brain scratched the back of his head. “I guess that’s then.”   
  
“Are you ready to join us for dinner again? And not … hide up here.” Aqua eyed the empty food boxes stacked up on the desk’s edge and Brain had to snort at the question.    
  
“I think it will do me good if I get under people again. I can’t rely on Lauriam bringing me food every time.”   
  
He immediately opted to pick up the boxes, Aqua went for it as well as Brain couldn’t carry all of these on his own. Both having their hands full, they made their way out of the library.    
  
“So, Lauriam, huh.” Aqua said to him, not being able to hide her smile.    
  
Brain almost tripped at the way Aqua started this convo, clawing onto the boxes he carried.    
  
“That’s - … That’s another story, not today.” Brain said hastily, glad he could already see the staircases downwards.   
  
Aqua giggled at Brain’s reaction. “I see, alright.”    
  
Enough stories were told today anyways, stories that would change the view of both of them, but it was clear to them even now that nothing would change for the worse - 

Instead they were aware how close their hearts grew together. A connection beyond a bloodline. 

  
  
  



	3. (Additional: Pictures of the Past)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small follow up -

Aqua yawned as she entered the kitchen.   
  
It was early as usual, like every morning. The world was still asleep when she stood up, the early sun barely shining over the horizon. Yet lately she wasn’t the only one up at this time and she had to smile as she saw the person already sitting at the kitchen table, drinking the freshly brewed morning coffee.   
  
“Good morning, Master Aqua.”   
  
“Good morning, Brain.”    
  
She quickly opted for the coffee machine herself, her mug already set in place and her prefered option for coffee set up as well - she just had to hit the button. A usual occurrence since Brain arrived in the Land of Departure and Aqua was honestly quite happy that she wasn’t alone anymore in these morning hours.    
  
She leaned herself against the kitchen counter as she waited for her coffee to get ready, running a hand through her messy bed hair to fix it at least somewhat.    
  
“Had a good night?” Aqua asked him as he loomed over the steam of his coffee, purposely avoiding the word “sleep”, because she wasn’t sure if he actually slept at night at all.    
  
Kind of relatable, she had to admit. She wasn’t any different from that when she came back from everything that happened.    
  
Brain hummed as he took a long sip from his mug, setting it down again and ran a finger along the rim. “It was a quiet night. Nothing much happened, it was peaceful actually. And you? Had a good sleep?”    
  
The coffee machine beeped and Aqua took her coffee, taking a sip from it as well before she sat down at the table at the opposite of Brain, stretching her arms in the air.   
  
“Mhm. Slept well.”   
  
A silence came over them as they both waited for the coffee to kick in, and Brain took out his modified gummiphone to pass time, scrolling through it, typing on it. Aqua simply watched him as he did that, her mind wandering off to another time, to memories. She had to close her eyes as pictures started to form and she sighed, rubbing her eyes with a huff.    
  
Brain looked up from his phone and stopped what he was doing, placing an elbow on the table to lean on it, catching Aqua’s eyes.    
  
“When you look at me, do you see me or … your Master?”    
  
Aqua exhaled deeply, somewhat embarrassed she got caught in her thoughts. She knew she couldn’t lie to him - he knew it already anyways - it was more a test for herself to see if she admitted her thoughts.   
  
“Brain, I-”   
  
He waved in front of him, smiling. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it. I know.” His smile dropped, somewhat sad, looking down to his mug. “I don’t … mind, really.”   
  
Aqua couldn’t find words to respond, again watching him. The young man’s dark hair was tied up to a loose bun, like he usually had in the morning, some strands covering his face, the rest tucked to his side. There was nothing Aqua couldn’t do to prevent the pictures forming in front of her eyes, her heart clearly calling out for it.   
  
“I’m … sorry.” She blurted out, unsure why really.   
  
“There is nothing to be sorry about, Aqua.” Brain said with a deep breath. “I should be the one to apologize. I mean … it’s my fault, I’d say.”   
  
She shook her head, the coffee slowly kicking in. “It’s no one’s fault I see him in you. Let’s not … discuss this.”   
  
“Fair enough.” He grinned, picking his phone up again, but continued after a short break. “Say … do you know how to play chess?”   
  
Aqua tilted her head at the question. “Well … yes?”   
  
Brain slid his phone across the table, the screen showing a chessboard for a new game. “Want to play a round?”   
  
Holding in for a second, Aqua took the phone eventually, smiling herself as she made the first turn.    
  
_ They truly are related, huh _ . She thought, sliding the phone right back to him. 

  
  
  



End file.
